Joe Wood on an American Tobacco Company baseball card, 1912

Joe "Smoky Joe" Wood (October 25, 1889 - July 27, 1985) was a Major League Baseball player for the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians during the early part of the 20th century. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 350 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (630 × 1080 pixel, file size: 140 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Smokey Joe Wood, baseball player CREATED/PUBLISHED: 1912, issued by: American Tobacco Company File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 350 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (630 × 1080 pixel, file size: 140 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Smokey Joe Wood, baseball player CREATED/PUBLISHED: 1912, issued by: American Tobacco Company File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... July 27 is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 4, 8, 9, 27, 42 Name Boston Red Sox (1908–present) Boston Americans (1901-1907) Ballpark Fenway Park (1912–present) Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds (1901-1911) Major league titles World Series titles (6) 2004... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 3, 5, 14, 18, 19, 21, 42, 455 Name Cleveland Indians (1915–present) Cleveland Naps (1905-1914) Cleveland Bronchos (1902-1904) Cleveland Blues (1901) Ballpark Jacobs Field (1994–present) Cleveland Stadium (1932-1993)* a. ...

Originally a pitcher, the native of Ness County, Kansas, had his breakthrough season in 1911 in which he won 23 games for the Red Sox, compiled an earned run average of 2.02, threw a no-hitter against the St. Louis Browns and struck out 15 batters in a single game. The strikeout record stood until 1961. Wood once struck out 23 batters in an exhibition game. He earned the nickname "Smoky Joe" because of his blazing fastball. Legendary fastballer and pitchign contemporary Walter Johnson once said, "Can I throw harder than Joe Wood? Listen, my friend, there's no man alive can throw harder than Smoky Joe Wood!" Satchel Paige concurred, saying, "Smoky Joe could throw harder than anyone." Reminded of Johnson's assessment sixty years later, Wood said, "Oh, i don't think there was ever anybody faster than Walter." This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Ness County (standard abbreviation: NS) is a county located in the state of Kansas. ... The following are the baseball events of the year 1911 throughout the world. ... GAMES Magazine is a United States based magazine devoted to games published by GAMES Publications, a division of Kappa Publishing Group. ... In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. ... In baseball and softball, a no-hit game (more commonly known as a no-hitter) refers to a contest in which one of the teams has prevented the other from getting an official hit during the entire length of the game, which must be at least 9 innings by the... (For the 1901-02 American League team known as the Baltimore Orioles, see New York Yankees. ... Barry Bonds batting Photo:Agência Brasil In baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for ones team. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. ... Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887-December 10, 1946), American professional baseball pitcher. ... Leroy Robert Satchel Paige (July 7, 1906–June 8, 1982) was a right-handed pitcher in the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball who is considered to be among the greatest baseball pitchers of all time. ...

Wood's best season came in 1912, in which Wood won 34 games, tied Johnson's record for 16 consecutive victories (and beat Johnson 1-0 in a highly publicized game that September) and went 3-1 in the World Series, including Boston's deciding Game 8 in which he beat Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson. Wood was named World Series MVP. The following are the baseball events of the year 1912 throughout the world. ... In the 1912 World Series, the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Giants in 8 games. ... Christopher Christy Mathewson (August 12, 1880 - October 7, 1925), nicknamed Big Six, The Christian Gentleman, or Matty, was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. ... In sports, a Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests. ...

The following year, Wood slipped on wet grass while fielding a bunt in a game against the Detroit Tigers. He fell and broke his thumb, and pitched in pain for the following three seasons. Although he maintained a winning record and a low ERA, his appearances were limited as he could no longer recover quickly from pitching a game. He sat out the 1916 season and most of the 1917 season, and for all intents and purposes ended his pitching career. Ichiro Suzuki lays down a bunt. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) Central Division (1998–present) Current uniform Name Detroit Tigers (1901–present) Ballpark Comerica Park (2000–present) Tiger Stadium (1912-1999) Bennett Park (1894-1911) Major league titles World Series titles (4) 1984 â€¢ 1968 â€¢ 1945 â€¢ 1935 AL Pennants (10) 2006 â€¢ 1984 â€¢ 1968 â€¢ 1945 1940... // This digit is one of the five fingers (though the word finger can also refer exclusively to the non-thumb digits). ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ...

Late in the 1917 season, Wood was sold to the Cleveland Indians, where he rejoined former teammate Tris Speaker. Always proficient with the bat, Wood embarked on a second career and, like his former teammate Babe Ruth, ended his career as an outfielder. His hitting statistics, however, were far more pedestrian than those of Ruth. Wood pitched seven more times, all but one game in relief, winning none and losing one. He also appeared in four games in the 1920 World Series. Tristram E. Speaker (April 4, 1888 in Hubbard, Texas - December 8, 1958 in Lake Whitney, Texas), nicknamed “Spoke” (a play on his last name) and “Grey Eagle” (for his prematurely graying hair), was an American baseball player known as one of the best offensive and defensive center fielders in history. ... For the band, see Babe Ruth (band). ... Austin Kearns, an outfielder, catches a fly ball. ... In the 1920 World Series, the Cleveland Indians beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in 7 games, five games to two. ...

He left the majors after the 1922 season with a career pitching record of 116-57 and an ERA of 2.03. His lifetime batting average was .283. In his final with the Indians, Smoky had his highest hit total for a season with 150 hits and also drove in his highest rbi total with 92. Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively. ...

Wood went on to become head baseball coach at Yale University, where he compiled a career managing record of 283-228-1 over 20 seasons. “Yale” redirects here. ...

Years later, in 1981, Wood was present at an historic pitcher's duel between Yale University and Saint John's University, featuring future major leaguers Ron Darling and Frank Viola. Darling threw 11 no-hit innings for Yale, matched by Viola's 11 shutout innings for St. John's. Wood, sitting in the stands, recalled Ty Cobb and said, "A lot of fellows in my time shortened up on the bat when they had to--that's what the St. John's boys should try against this good pitcher." Darling lost the no-hitter and the game in the 12th, and Wood called it the best baseball game he had ever seen. The account was recorded in Roger Angell's 1982 book The Web of the Game, and, later, in the anthology Game Time: A Baseball Companion. Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... “Yale” redirects here. ... St. ... Ronald (born August 19, 1960) is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets, Oakland Athletics and Montreal Expos. ... Frank John Viola, Jr. ... An innings, or inning, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably baseball and cricket – during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. ... Tyrus Raymond Ty Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed The Georgia Peach, was a Hall of Fame baseball player. ... Roger Angell (born September 19, 1920), is an important figure in the world of American letters, having spent the vast majority of his career as a fiction editor and regular contributor at The New Yorker. ... -1...

In 1984, Wood received a standing ovation on Old Timers Day at Fenway Park in Boston, some 72 years after his memorable season. Aged 94, he said he was happy that Boston remembered him as "Smoky." Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ... “Fenway” redirects here. ...

Wood died in West Haven, Connecticut on July 27, 1985. He was buried in Shohola Township, Pennsylvania. In 1995, he was selected to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. West Haven is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. ... Shohola Township is a township in Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States. ... See also: 1994 in sports, other events of 1995, 1996 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto Racing Stock car racing: Sterling Marlin won the Daytona 500 NASCAR Championship - Jeff Gordon CART racing - season championship won by Jacques Villeneuve Indianapolis 500 - Jacques Villeneuve. ... The Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame was instituted in 1995 to recognize the career of former Boston Red Sox players. ...

In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time. They explained what they called "the Smokey Joe Wood Syndrome," where a player of truly exceptional talent but a career curtailed by injury should still, in spite of not having had career statistics that would quantitatively rank him with the all-time greats, be included on their list of the 100 greatest players. Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Lawrence S. Ritter (1922 - 2004) was a writer whose specialty was baseball. ...

On August 27, 2005, the Society for American Baseball Research's Connecticut Chapter adopted itself as the Connecticut Smoky Joe Wood SABR Chapter

External links

• Joe Wood career statistics at http://www.baseball-reference.com/w/woodjo02.shtml
• Joe Wood Bio http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/W/Wood_Joe.stm at BaseballLibrary.com
• The Johnson-Wood Showdown http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/excerpts/greatest_games7.stm at BaseballLibrary.com